Commissioned to design a new factory for luxury fashion house Fendi, Milan studio Piuarch has created a large building that's topped by an impressive green roof, helping it take its place well among the surrounding Italian countryside.
The Fendi Factory is located in Bagno a Ripoli, in Italy's Tuscany region. The plot was in a state of neglect following the closure of a quarry and brickworks. However, following landscaping by Antonio Perazzi it's now taken up by 7 hectares (17 acres) of bucolic scenery.
The attempt to ensure the building blends into the landscape is reflected both in the roof and its facade, which is finished in earth tones. The interior, meanwhile, measures roughly 14,000 sq m (150,000 sq ft), which is mostly on one floor, except for a canteen overlooking the green roof. This is more complicated than it looks at first glance and is broken up in places to create courtyards, ensuring light permeates below.
"The green roof, hollowed out by patios that disrupt its continuity and light up the interior spaces, thus stands out as a hallmark of the project," explained Piuarch. "From the green roof, to the courtyards, to the industrial park surrounding it, the idea was to transform the entire site into a new and extended garden, also with the purpose of improving the quality of the working spaces, to reinforce the priority of the client's work: a commitment to increasing responsibility towards the environment and society, the artificial and natural environments, between the interior and exterior."
The ground floor of the building is divided between management and administrative offices, a production warehouse, workshops, and a school for leather goods.
In addition to its focus on natural light and ventilation reducing lighting and cooling requirements, Fendi says the factory gets 100% of its power requirements from renewable energy sources, and that it's expected to receive the LEED Platinum green building standard sometime this year.